Course
Overview (Catalog Info)
Emerging applications in science and engineering disciplines generate
and collect data at unprecedented speed, scale, and complexity that
need to be managed and analyzed efficiently. This course introduces the
emerging techniques and infrastructures developed for big data
management including parallel and distributed database systems,
MapReduce infrastructure, scalable platforms for complex data types,
stream processing systems, and cloud-based computing. Query processing,
optimization, access methods, storage layouts, and energy management
techniques developed on these infrastructures will be covered. Students
are expected to engage in hands-on projects using one or more of these
technologies. Prerequisites: A beginning course in databases at the
level of CS4432 or equivalent knowledge, and programming experience.

Course
Objectives
There are several objectives from this course including:
1- Learning state-of-art techniques in Big Data
management that you can apply to your future research
and/or your practical work.
2- Preparing yourself for the very competative IT
market in which Big Data technology is Inevitable
3- Learning how to review papers. Reviewing
technical and scientific papers is a skill that you need to develop.
Throughout this course, you will review several papers.
4- Working in a semester-long project that can
potentially lead to a publication.

CourseworkThe course is organized as
series of seminars presented by the instructor and students. The
instructor will present several lectures covering the state-of-art
techniques in various topics. Around 70% of the lectures will be
covered by the instructor. Some students may present one
paper in a certain topic.
Students will also form teams of two to work on the course projects. An
ideal project will involve implementing some of the
techniques covered in class along with some modifications/extensions to
them, or performing comparative study between alternative techniques.
However, the project is not limited to the covered material. A good
project would possibly result in writing a publishable paper.
PrerequisitesStudents
are expected to have strong background and knowledge of relational
database management systems. Prior courses in databases, e.g., CS542,
CS4432, or
equivalent courses, are recommended. Also students are expected to have
good programming skills in programming languages such as C or Java
(Mostly Java).

Course Load & Grading PolicyThe course will have around 8-9 Assignments (of different
types), e.g., 5-7 coding projects, 1-2 HWs, and 0-1 Presentation. All
will be done in teams of two. Teams that will make presentations will
skip one of the other assignments. Plus there will 3-4 Quizzes.

WPI
E-SystemIn
addition to this website, the course is also available at blackboard.wpi.edu.

Discussion
Board
Please use the discussion board available at blackboard.wpi.edu
for any course-related discussion and exchange of emails.